Study on corruption vulnerabilities in the EU seaports’ supply chain

Abstract

This article draws from the results of a Study on corruption vulnerabilities in the EU seaports' supply chains developed within the framework of project POSEIDON (PortS unitED Against Corruption). POSEIDON is an EU-funded project (Grant Agreement No. 10110337) that seeks to enhance anti-corruption practices in EU seaports. This is done through the mapping and identification of corruption vulnerabilities in the supply chain of EU seaports. Ports and their supply chains are crucial as enablers of trade, but they are also vulnerable to the exploitation of organised crime groups in the trafficking of illicit goods such as drugs or firearms. The identification of corruption vulnerabilities and anti-corruption practices is carried out through literature research, interviews, focus groups, surveys and study visits to selected ports in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Greece and Italy.

To contribute to EU-level actions against corruption and address vulnerabilities in the port supply chain system, POSEIDON further gathers practices from different public and private stakeholders. The project is still ongoing but a few anti-corruption practices have already been identified namely, digitalisation, training and awareness campaigns, screening of port employees and staff as well as public-private cooperation. Within the project, this process of exchange is fostered by a cycle of six thematic dialogues, where different stakeholders from the public and private sphere are brought together to discuss current trends, challenges and good practices in this sector.  

The identification and collection of anti-corruption practices is closely connected to the establishment of an EU Public-Private Network of Port Sector Stakeholders. The Network fosters the exchange of anti-corruption practices and contributes to the mitigation of corruption vulnerabilities in the port sector. The transferability of good practices identified by the project - which will also be displayed via an interactive Dashboard available to the public - will be assessed within the project's life cycle, contributing to the definition of a series of recommendations for an EU Port Supply Chain Integrity Standard.